


The Burglar and the Billionaire

by Antares



Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Dubious Consent, First Time, Kissing, M/M, Sex, Sexual Coercion
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-16
Updated: 2015-12-16
Packaged: 2018-05-07 02:33:35
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,726
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5440223
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Antares/pseuds/Antares
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When John finds a ‘burglar’ in his appartment, he has to decide what to do with him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Burglar and the Billionaire

**Author's Note:**

  * A translation of [Der Millionär und der Einbrecher](https://archiveofourown.org/works/801704) by [Antares](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Antares/pseuds/Antares). 



> 1\. Many, many thanks to my beta reader Shazzz who did an amazing job!  
> All remaining mistakes are mine.
> 
> 2\. There's dubious consent at the beginning of the story - but only at the beginning!

He was such a genius! It hadn’t been easy to break into the Sheppard Tower and disable all security systems in a way that nobody noticed. And it hadn’t been easy to gain access to the penthouse where Sheppard lived. But he, Rodney McKay, had done it. Of course he’d done it, because he was the best. 

He’d made a bet with Ronon that there wasn’t any security system he wasn’t able to outsmart. 

But that wasn’t all. He’d had a further motive when he had concluded this bet with Ronon. He hoped that Dex, his boss at SATEDA, would give him more interesting jobs after the break-in. He was so fed up with only installing surveillance cameras in malls and banks. All the really fascinating jobs went to Sam Carter. 

She wasn’t bad – but she just wasn’t as good as he was. He had demonstrated this once again because he was in Sheppard’s home, even though she had installed the original security system. 

Rodney McKay was standing in front of Sheppard’s immense desk and looking out of the window. The last sunrays bathed the surrounding apartment towers in a golden light and mirrored the orange sunlight in the glass of the facades. But Rodney had no eye for the amazing sight in front of him because he had promised to bring Ronon a token from Sheppard’s desk to prove that he’d been in his office. 

Rodney extended his hand to open the small box on the desk... 

“I wouldn’t do that if I was you”, a slightly bored voice behind him explained. 

Rodney’s pulse shot up to a very unhealthy level. Who...? Quickly he turned around and stared open-mouthed at the man who was standing a few feet away. Black trousers, black turtle neck, black hair, and looking good in a very rich playboy sort of way. This was, without a doubt, John Sheppard. He had read everything about Sheppard Enterprises, the Sheppard Tower and John Sheppard himself, during the last few weeks while preparing this wager. 

He knew that Sheppard was obscenely rich, shared the position as CEO with his brother Dave in the family run business, and had had a severe accident eight years ago during a test in the desert of Nevada. For more than six months he had stayed in different hospitals, and during this time he and his wife Nancy had divorced. Like the whole yellow press, Rodney also speculated that Sheppard had suffered severe burns during this accident. That would also explain why after that date the only photos that existed showed him with scarves, buttoned up jackets or turtle necks. 

Like today. 

And because Rodney was so well informed, he knew for sure that Sheppard shouldn’t be here because it was Tuesday evening, and on Tuesdays he usually took part in a directors’ meeting from six to eight p.m. 

“I w-,” he tried to explain before Sheppard advanced on him, grabbed Rodney’s arm and twisted it behind his back. He tried to break the hold but Sheppard snatched his second arm, and within a few seconds Rodney felt plastic handcuffs around his wrists. Sheppard effectively searched his body for weapons, took his cell phone from his back pocket and threw it carelessly to the desk. 

“It’s not what it looks like, Mr. Sheppard!” Rodney shouted in panic when Sheppard’s hand on his shoulder forced him unrelentingly to his knees. 

Sheppard marched around him before he planted himself threateningly in front of him. “No? What is there to misunderstand? This is my apartment and I can’t remember inviting you. Therefore my first thought is that you’re here for the Solar-III papers. Who sent you? Who do you work for?” 

“Solar-III papers?” Rodney didn’t know what Sheppard was talking about, but since Sheppard invented lots of technical stuff, he concluded that this was his newest invention. He shook his head. “I...” 

Sheppard’s look was totally cold, and he lifted his hand menacingly. “Stop lying! Who’s your client?” 

“Nobody!” Rodney cried, panic lacing his voice. He hated violence, and even if he was lucky and Sheppard didn’t hit him too hard, the possibility that it ‘could’ hurt made him mindlessly react. “It’s only a wager, a bet!” he shouted hectically. “Only a wager. Because Sam Carter installed your security system I made a bet that I could break in.” 

“What?” Sheppard gave him an incredulous look. 

“This is all a very big misunderstanding. I know nothing about the papers. I only wanted to win the wager. I swear!” 

When the burglar wanted to get up from his knees John pushed him back. He had a closer look at the man in front of him. It spoke in his favor that he had no weapons on him. And he had mentioned Sam Carter. John remembered the blond woman who had installed his sophisticated security system two years ago. Perhaps... 

“That excuse sounds so lame that I’m nearly willing to believe it”, John stated with a shake of his head. 

Rodney exhaled with great relief. “It’s the truth! Scout’s honor.” 

His eyes looked imploringly at Sheppard and for a second John was mesmerized by the intensity of the blue. Oh no – where did the thought that the burglar was attractive come from? 

“Then I’ll call in a report as break in and drop the charges of theft,” Sheppard declared resolutely and pressed a button on his desk.

“No! No! No police!” Rodney called out, upset. He was Canadian and didn’t have a green card any longer after a tiny, unfortunate incident with a professor at MIT. He couldn’t end up in a police station. Best case scenario – he had to leave the States. Worst case scenario, the whole affair with the stolen money and materials during his work at Kavanagh Incorporated would be reviewed again. Nobody had believed him when he had testified that the son of the director was responsible for the embezzlement. 

“No police?” Sheppard’s look grew even colder. So he had been wrong, this man was a criminal after all. “You’ve got a problem with them?” 

“Immigrations Office,” Rodney mumbled. For a year new he’d been working for Ronon Dex – but he wasn’t any more legal than some Mexicans, and he lived in the same fear of Immigrations that they did. 

“Well, if you’re an illegal, perhaps you’d better find a less risky hobby.” Sheppard leaned nonchalantly against his desk. 

Rodney lifted his chin defiantly. “I was very sure that I wouldn’t get caught. And by the way, why aren’t you in your directors’ meeting this evening?” 

Sheppard didn’t miss the indignant undertone, and against his will he had to grin about this man’s bold accusation. Did the burglar really expect him to justify his deviation from his usual daily schedule? The man was really sassy! 

Sheppard loved to inform him why he had failed. “Because of some unforeseen absences due to illness we had no quorum and therefore we postponed our meeting. I’m so sorry I didn’t fill you in on the change in plans.” He smiled gloatingly at the burglar. “That’s what you can tell the police.” 

“You can’t turn me in!” Rodney shouted. Then he remembered his position and added with a thin voice, “Please, there must be another solution.” He looked around in Sheppard’s spacious and elegant office and knew that he couldn’t offer him money. “I... I could update all the security systems in your enterprise, no, in all your enterprises for free.” He looked hopefully at Sheppard. When he didn’t get a reaction he added, “And maintain them.” He swallowed. “For as long as you want me to do so.” 

Let a housebreaker near his security systems? The man had really guts! Or was totally crazy. 

But there was another idea forming in John’s head. “So, you’re ready to negotiate with me?” he asked slyly. He let his gaze travel over the kneeling man in front of him. From the brilliant blue eyes, to the broad shoulders, to the strong, spread thighs. He liked what he saw. 

“Yes,” Rodney said against better judgement. He didn’t like the glint in Sheppard’s eyes. Not one bit. It looked like... doom. But at least Sheppard hadn’t immediately called the police. 

“Then stay with me tonight.” And to make sure that the burglar knew what he wanted, Sheppard leaned more securely against his desk and glided the tip of his stockinged foot between the man’s spread legs, travelling up to his groin and rubbing against the soft bulge of his dick, which was palpable under the fabric of the trousers. 

“What?” Rodney’s voice squeeked. That ... Sheppard couldn’t ... that was blackmail ... he... 

Three heavily armed people stormed into Sheppard’s office. All three of them took position with their guns pointing at Rodney, but Sheppard stopped them with a movement of his hand. 

“Thank you, Lorne. The situation’s changed. I think my guest wants to stay a bit longer.” He made a step forward until he was able to take Rodney’s chin in his hand. He held it in a close grip, while he stared into Rodney’s eyes. 

“I..., I...,” Rodney stuttered. 

Lorne’s voice showed his astonishment. “Mr Sheppard? Who is he? And where did he come from?” The fact that Rodney’s hands were tied behind his back and that he was kneeling before Sheppard seemed to reassure him, and he lowered his weapon. 

“Oh, I totally forgot to ask what my new toy is called,” Sheppard said with a smirk and one of his fingers caressed Rodney’s cheek. 

“I’m Dr. Rodney McKay – and I’m not a toy!” Rodney said angrily and with as much hauteur as he could muster. 

“No? I thought that you didn’t want to accompany Mr. Lorne to the police.” 

Rodney closed his eyes for a second. This had been humiliating enough without witnesses. But with the choice of his words Sheppard had made it very clear what would happen if he didn’t accompany Lorne. Perhaps he shouldn’t have been so generous with his full name and his title. Heck, Meredith would have been enough! 

“I...” Rodney hesitated. What was better? The police or whatever Sheppard offered him? He didn’t even know exactly what was on the table, only that it had to do with sex. But if the news stories where right, you could also be sexually assaulted in jail – by people who weren’t as good-looking as Sheppard. 

“It’s your decision, Rodney,” Sheppard taunted. “I won’t coerce you. If you want to stay, you stay and we’ll play by my rules. Or you accompany my chief of security. It’s up to you.” 

There was no real choice. “I’m staying,” Rodney managed to say but he didn’t look at either Sheppard nor at Lorne. He didn’t need to see the triumph in their eyes. In his wet dreams it had felt much better to be forced to have sex with good-looking strangers than it was now in reality. 

From the corner of his eyes he saw the men with the weapons leave the room. That meant they left him alone with the psychopath – because he had to be one if he treated people like this, right? 

“The right decision,” Sheppard said and added with a tiny smile, “I love it when my partners are affectionate, submissive, and cuddly.” 

Rodney’s eyebrow climbed up. He didn’t believe that for one second. Sheppard looked like a predator and he couldn’t imagine that he looked for easy prey. People like Sheppard wanted to pursue, fight and demonstrate their skills. And because Rodney’s mouth was once again faster than his censoring brain, he answered snappily, “And that’s why I fit perfectly into your predator-prey system. Young, easy and affectionate.” 

Sheppard laughed out loud and suddenly Rodney realized that with the provocative answer he had proved indirectly that he fitted perfectly into Sheppard’s scheme. Before he could wonder to himself why he hadn’t this seen earlier and kept his mouth shut, he saw Sheppard going to the desk. When he turned around he held something metallic in his hand. 

Oh, god! A knife! “No, no, no!” Rodney stumbled to his feet and took some hasty steps backwards. “Sheppard! You can’t take the law into your own hand and kill me!”

“Kill you?” Sheppard asked genuinely surprised. “I wanted to take off your ugly t-shirt.” He pointed the tip of the knife at Rodney’s olive-green shirt with the ‘I’m with Genius’ slogan. “Especially because the statement on the shirt is wrong as we both know, otherwise you wouldn’t be in this situation.” 

“Hey! The t-shirt isn’t ugly! And...” No, he wouldn’t tell Sheppard that the t-shirt held a sentimental value for him. People with knives in their hands usually weren’t interested in that. But... “Why can’t I pull off the shirt in a ‘normal’ way? Why do you have to wave around a blade in my face?” 

“You forgot that your hands are tied behind your back?” 

“It’s in your power to change that,” Rodney snapped. 

Sheppard looked at Doctor McKay pensively. This... kidnapping was the most spontaneous and weirdest thing he’d done in a long time. His other sexual encounters were always meticulously prepared, and his partners had been selected with care from O’Neill’s Escort Service. Discretion was high on the agenda. He paid an obscene amount of money to get what he wanted. 

And now he was talking to somebody whom he had offered on an impulse the choice of having sex with him or be turned over to the police. Even when he believed in the story McKay had told him – and he had to admit Rodney looked more like ‘Doctor’ McKay than a professional burglar – he knew nothing about the man. Only that he was totally different from the men O’Neill sent him. And that he intrigued him. 

“You’re right.” He’d made his decision. If he didn’t think that McKay was an evil industrial spy who would kill for what he had come for, he could cut McKay’s plastic handcuffs. But to be sure he added, “Don’t forget that Lorne is still waiting on the other side of the door. If you run out there your next stop will be the police station.” 

“I won’t forget it, Sheppard,” Rodney grumbled and turned around so that Sheppard could free him. When Rodney was able to move his hands again he immediately massaged his hurting wrists. “I hope that I’ll be able to use my hands again without problems. I specialize in very delicate work and it would be unacceptable if my hands were damaged.” 

Sheppard nodded as sincerely as he was able to. “I’m sure everything is fine.” He made an inviting gesture, indicating the door on his left. “Okay, let’s take this to the bedroom.”

Rodney sighed and followed him. They entered an elegant bedroom in beige and black, with paintings on the wall that didn’t look like reproductions. The room was very masculine and extremely tidy. No socks were trailing on the ground, no drawer was open. Everything looked like a photo from a magazine and strangely uninhabited. Rodney assumed that this wasn’t Sheppard’s bedroom, but a room for guests. A room to seduce burglars who accidentally came by and were so stupid that they were caught in the act. 

“Rodney?” 

“Hmmm?” Rodney looked up from the hands he was still massaging into Sheppard’s face. 

“Call me ‘John’. I don’t like my bed partners calling me Sheppard.” 

“Okay, John.” Rodney nodded and took a deep breath. He didn’t like the sound of it. It was as if they had sealed a pact. A pact to have sex. Perhaps he could leave the impression to be stupidly cuddly so that Sheppard would lose interest in him – but somehow he doubted that. 

“Strip.” 

Sheppard’s order wasn’t exactly unexpected, but nevertheless it made Rodney gulp nervously. For a second his flight instinct kicked in, but then his analytical mind asked himself sarcastically if he had really thought he’d be having sex with his clothes on? Reluctantly, Rodney took off his shoes, grabbed the hem of his t-shirt and pulled it over his head. Under this shirt was another long-sleeved grey shirt which he also got rid of. Now, already half-naked he felt upset and vulnerable.

He knew that he didn’t have the body for the cover of Men’s Health, and he felt totally exposed with Sheppard’s gaze on him. He got defensive and snapped, “It’s not my fault, if I don’t meet you expectations.”

“But I like what I see,” Sheppard said with an amused grin. He slouched deeper in his armchair and added with a nonchalant wave of his hand, “Continue, please.” 

Rodney’s hands fumbled with the button on his jeans and he blushed. 

In this moment, John knew that the evening with Rodney would be much more genuine than the nights spent with O’Neill’s good-looking men. They only did what he had chosen beforehand on the online-questionnaire. None of those men felt any embarrassment when he asked them to undress for him. 

But Rodney fought an inner battle. Fought hard to fulfil the deal he had made with him. John noticed him biting his lower lip while he pushed his jeans over his hips until he was able to step out of them. The only items he was still wearing were his dark socks and his boxer shorts decorated with kiwis.

As John already expected, Rodney got first rid of the socks. Now only the shorts were remaining. Their eyes met and John didn’t know how he would react if Rodney begged him to stop here. He felt a slight remorse that he’d coerced Rodney into this position, but on the other hand he was totally turned on watching Rodney’s inner struggle. 

When Rodney finally gave in and with a defiant look, pushed down his shorts to stand totally naked in front of him, John felt a thrill race through his body. Hell, yes, Rodney was perfect. It wasn’t easy for him, but he did it nevertheless. John’s eyes wandered from the red cheeks over the few hairs on Rodney’s chest down to his dick, which was lying dormant on a nest of blond hair. It was still soft and small but John planned on changing that. 

“Before we start – is there anything you’re allergic to? Latex for example? Or something else I have to take into account?” John got up from his armchair and advanced on Rodney. 

“Huh?” Rodney had used all his considerable will-power during the last minutes to make his hands dangle loosely on his sides and not to cover himself up to hide from Sheppard’s taxing scrutinity. This question came totally out of the blue for him. Damn, that was more consideration and empathy he had ever had from a one-night stand. And this from the disgustingly rich billionaire who forced him to participate in such humiliating games! 

“Rodney?” 

“Citrus.” Rodney shook off his immobility. “I’m deathly allergic to citrus. So if there are only traces of it in your after shave, we better stop here, because you don’t want have to deal with an anaphylactic shock.” 

“Nice try, but I don’t use anything with citrus. Not even my soap is perfumed.” John grinned at Rodney. He put his hand on Rodney’s chest and glided very tenderly over the skin, while watching the other man attentively. Rodney didn’t pull back, didn’t grit his teeth, or give any other sign that the situation was unbearable for him. Instead he said with a tiny sigh, “Today isn’t my lucky day, it seems.” 

Rodney registered Sheppard’s amused snort with only a small part of his brain, because all his senses were stretched to breaking point. He saw and felt how Sheppard’s hand slid over his shoulder and over his arm, before he stepped behind him. Rodney was acutely aware of even the smallest touch. 

Sheppard’s fingers explored Rodney’s back, from his shoulders to his waist. Rodney pressed his lips together. He felt like a slave on an open market, as if his new owner was inspecting the merchandise. When Sheppard’s hand started mapping the contour of his ass, he was only seconds away from complaining. He’d already inhaled deeply to say something very sarcastic, when he heard Sheppard whispering, “You have such a wonderful unscarred skin.” 

The disparaging words got stuck in Rodney’s throat. 

The accident! John didn’t mean to degrade him with his touch. This was worship, and not an easy moment for Sheppard. Rodney remembered that he had found numerous photos of a young John Sheppard on the internet, tanned and taking part in surfing competitions. There were no such photos since the accident. Rodney relaxed. 

If he went knowingly into the old trap of developing feelings for this jailer – well, he couldn’t change it. Rodney allowed John to guide him to the bed. He put a pillow under his head to watch Sheppard undressing but John lay down beside him still totally clothed. That was very strange behaviour, an eccentricity only the very rich could pull off, but in John’s case, perhaps understandable. 

John’s hands returned to Rodney’s body and continued caressing him. His fingers on Rodney’s chest felt good and the semi-darkness of the bedroom made it easier. Closing his eyes, Rodney concentrated on the sensations John was causing. Warm and enjoyable and not in the least threatening, he admitted. Whatever John wanted to do to his ‘prisoner’ – and even in his head Rodney used the word only very reluctantly – thank god, it didn’t seem to involve painful or strange sexual demands. 

Instead he continued wherever Rodney indicated with small sighs or soft gasps that he liked it. Rodney’s nipples got more consideration than ever before. Rodney even said, “Harder” at one point and John did what he wanted. Rodney realized that John might have called him a “toy” in front of Lorne – but he didn’t treat him like one. Or if this was Sheppard’s way of treating his “toys” then he was fine with it because it felt great. 

After a while, when Rodney was already squirming because he wanted more, John finally touched his hard dick. He squeezed a bit and Rodney couldn’t hold in the deep groan and the involuntary movement of his hips to press his dick more firmly into John’s hand. 

“May I kiss you?” John’s question tore Rodney from his half-dreaming state. 

He looked at John very perplexed. “Of course.” He shook his head. “Who started this wide spread prejudice that kissing is more intimate than... your hand on my dick?” 

“I don’t know.” John smiled. “Perhaps we’ve watched too many films which suggest it?” John’s fingers glided over Rodney’s cheek and his index finger trailed over Rodney’s lower lip. “But I think you’re right.” 

“Thanks. I th- ,” Whatever he wanted to add was swallowed by John’s lips. Kissing Sheppard was very nice and Rodney enthusiastically took part in this new activity. 

And when John rolled him over onto his stomach, Rodney wanted what was coming next without reservation. He couldn’t remember a time when anyone had treated his body with so much attention. He spread his legs for John to signal that he was ready, and was pleased to hear a deep groan come from Sheppard. 

John’s fingers prepared him slowly and carefully. The minutes passed and it felt like a lust-filled eternity before Rodney heard a zipper being pulled down. 

“Okay?” John asked. 

Rodney answered breathlessly, “Come on!” and pushed his ass a bit higher. He heard John tear open a condom, and finally, finally he felt John entering him. 

The slow rhythm continued, and when Rodney was seconds away of begging John to go a bit faster, John wrapped his hand around Rodney’s dick and Rodney’s world got hotter, darker, sweeping him higher. 

John used exactly the right pressure, and a few minutes later Rodney fell into the sensation and into his climax. In a fog of arousal he felt John getting himself off with a few hard pushes and some lights gasps. For one moment John stayed inside Rodney, breathed into his ear, and Rodney savored the peaceful moment. 

Much too soon Sheppard pulled out. He got up and left the bed, and for a moment Rodney felt a bit used. But his opinion changed when John came back with a wet towel and cleaned him carefully. 

When Rodney rolled over onto his back he saw that John had only opened the zipper on his trousers! He was as elegant and gorgeous as before – while Rodney felt rather limp and tousled. Probably his hair was sticking out in all directions. Rodney didn’t really feel betrayed, because this had been the best sex he had had in years. But he was disappointed that he hadn’t brought Sheppard to the same point of senseless abandon. 

Rodney sat up in bed. It had been so wonderful and unique for him and he wished that it had been a bit more... memorable for John. If there was a second round, well, he wouldn’t let get John away that easily. 

Rodney decided he needed a meal before proceeding. He had planned on celebrating later with Ronon so he hadn’t had dinner. Oh, oh, he should call Ronon before he sent in the cavalry. Rodney wasn’t too eager to be saved by Samantha Carter or the boss himself in his present situation. 

John thought that he should be accustomed by now whenever Rodney said something he didn’t expect it. So instead of asking, “May I go now?” Rodney’s question was, “May I have my cell phone back? I should call Ronon, because we had planned to have dinner together.” Rodney pulled the blanket, wrapping himself into it. 

John got up and threw him a dressing gown made of blue silk. “Your cell phone’s on the desk. I’ll fetch it. You want something to eat?” He hoped fervently that Rodney wanted to stay a bit longer. 

\-------------------------------------------

Half an hour later they were sitting together on the couch in the living room, eating Chinese food out of take out boxes, drinking beer and talking as if the evening hadn’t started totally different. 

John learned that Rodney had no problems talking, especially where his work was concerned or when he was invited to bitch about the moronic tendencies of his colleagues. John felt sorry for Rodney’s ‘minions’, but nevertheless had to laugh. 

Rodney also told him about his successful career at MIT until that fateful incident when he had insulted one of the professors. Even after all these years, Rodney still felt indignant. “I was right. That man is as dumb as bucket of shit. But perhaps I could’ve expressed it a little differently.” 

For a minute the atmosphere was subdued, but John found chocolate which was still good in one of the drawers of his desk. Rodney was very keen on not letting it go to waste and gulped it down in record time. John poured them both a drink, and when the pauses in their conversation got longer and longer, John got up and offered Rodney a hand. “Let’s go to bed?” 

“Yes.” This time the walk to the bedroom felt totally different. Even if Rodney didn’t know if Sheppard wanted to have sex again, his personal insecurity was gone. John had revealed himself to be the most sensitive lover he had ever had. And now he would do everything in his power to give him back a bit of what he had felt recently. Of course, first this horrible turtle neck had to go.

Rodney had never been someone who was very hung up on outer appearances, therefore he didn’t mind if Sheppard’s body was full of scars or not. And now he would show him. 

When John stopped at the door to turn down the light, Rodney got behind him, took the hem of John’s sweater and pulled it up a few inches. “Help me,” he demanded. 

John was petrified for a second – and so was Rodney. Those weren’t scars from a fire. There was a large blue spot on the left side of his back. Not like a haematoma, or a tattoo, but blue, leathery skin. The blue colour disappeared in a small stripe under the sweater and in the opposite direction under the waistband of John’s trousers. Before Rodney had really thought it through, he extended his hand and touched it. 

That brought John out of his stupor and he turned around lightning-fast, grabbed Rodney’s wrists and held them in an iron-fisted grip. “Don’t *ever* do that again!” he spat out and for a second he looked even more frightening and unyielding than at the beginning of the evening. “Never again!” he threatened a second time. 

Taking orders was not Rodney’s forte and he said dismissively, “Don’t be such a cry-baby. There’s a blue spot on your back, that’s not a big thing. So what happened?” 

Sheppard let go of Rodney’s wrists and balled his hands into fists. “That’s private and none of your business.” 

“But it’s totally fascinating! I’ve never seen anything like that before.” And against every warning, his hand crept again under Sheppard’s sweater. 

“Rodney...” John flinched from Rodney’s touch. In a helpless gesture he raised his hands. “That’s... my back is... a freak show. It’s not ‘fascinating’,” he tried to explain his feelings. 

“Bullshit.” Rodney crossed his arms in front of him.

They stared at each other; neither of them backing off. 

In John’s head his thoughts and emotions were somersaulting. This was the very first time that someone reacted like that. Even his doctor, Carson, had to force himself to touch him, although he knew that there was no danger of an infection in the blue skin. 

But then Rodney hadn’t seen the true scale of his disfigurement. There was much more than the hand sized spot he had seen for only a few seconds. John was sure Rodney would react differently if he was confronted with the whole truth. 

John adjusted the light to maximum, pulling the turtle neck over his head in a decisive move. He hesitated for a second, then he opened his trousers and sent them to the floor. He turned around so that Rodney was forced to see everything. 

John didn’t know why he did it, why he gave Rodney so much power over him with this knowledge. He didn’t know why he invited the disgust in the eyes of the other man, when this evening had been very nice so far. After all he’d had years to get accustomed to the sight – and on bad days he still couldn’t stand it. 

But Rodney didn’t react as John expected; he didn’t press his hand to his mouth, didn’t run out of the room, how he had half supposed, half feared. Rodney looked at him. Yes, there was no doubt, Rodney let his gaze travel from the neck to the shoulder, followed the blue colouring to the waist and down the thigh to the ankle. John knew exactly what the other man saw. 

He had spent hours in front of the mirror, with fear and repulsion and the refusal to believe what the reflection showed him. He had watched with horror, how his skin had gotten blue, pustular and scaly, before Carson had a found a cure to reverse the process at least partially. 

Then he had avidly watched the therapeutic effects. With great hope he saw the spots get smaller and smaller and disappear from his face. But then the panic had started when everything came to a standstill and part of his changed skin stayed like that; admitting that he would never be like before, had been slow and very painful.

That had been the time when he had let Nancy go without a fight, because he understood that he was no longer the man she had married. For two years he had hardly ever left the house, withdrawn from everybody, he had even worked from home, until Carson had persuaded him to see a psychologist, Doctor Emmagen. She had managed to bring him out of his shell, and she had recommended him O’Neill’s services. That had been the last decisive step for him. 

Nowadays he was comfortable in his world and rarely deviated from his routine. With the exception of this evening. 

And now he was getting his comeuppance. He was standing half-naked in front of a man he had only known for a few hours and who gazed at him from head to toe. Attentively. Cataloging every detail. Against all odds, he hoped that he interpreted Rodney’s look correctly and that it was fascination and not pity. 

Rodney asked softly, “How did this happen? This isn’t the result of an explosion in the desert of Nevada, or is it?”

Should he lie? No, he had passed that decision point after he had confronted Rodney with how he really looked. John took a deep breath. “It is. Indirectly. Our test was a failure; there was an explosion and three of us fled into an empty warehouse until the smoke had evaporated. What we didn’t know was that there was a man hiding there with his teenage daughter. They were shocked to see us and afraid we would expose them to the authorities, therefore they attacked us.” 

John stared intently at the wall when he continued after a short moment, “I had a fight with the daughter who was really very... scary. She was very pale with long dark, stringy hair, prominent cheekbones and two deep scars right and left of her nose. Nearly... not human. During our scuffle she scratched me. And now my memory may betray me, but I remember blue hands with claws, exactly the same colour my skin turned.” John’s voice was nearly a whisper now. 

“From the scratch of the teenage girl?” 

“Yes.” John nodded and looked Rodney in the eye. “Do you know how long I didn’t want to believe it? How long I denied what had happened until it wasn’t possible anymore? I took every imaginable step to find the two of them, because I wanted answers, but in vain.” He shrugged his shoulders. “Is your curiosity satisfied now?” he added flippantly. 

“I have another hundred questions,” Rodney said with a lopsided grin. He waited until John groaned out of frustration and then magnanimously added, “But for today I’ll stop here.” He took a deep breath and gushed out, “But I’ve no problem with it. If you want again... with me... you know what I mean... and now without the sweater...” He gave John an uncertain and pleading look. 

“That’s very courageous of you,” Sheppard said sarcastically. “But I haven’t told you everything yet.”

“Is it blue and hidden in your underwear, which you very conveniently didn’t take off? Then forget it. It doesn’t matter to me.” 

“Hey... no! My... dick isn’t blue,” John stated with indignation. Then he realized what a strange sentence that was and his lips curled into a tiny smile. “Thank god it isn’t.” 

Rodney smiled back, took a step forward and very slowly extended his hand which he put on John’s arm – far away from any blue skin. “What is it?” 

“A psychological reaction.” 

“You feel uncomfortable? Don’t worry, I...” 

John interrupted Rodney, before he could find new ways to reassure him. “On the contrary,” he said. 

When Rodney raised his brows in a questioning manner, John continued, “If someone touches me there... I feel less inhibited. I feel stronger, invincible, and more ruthless.” John hesitated, but then he added, “And I feel sexually much more aggressive. It’s as if I’m flooded by primordial, primitive instincts.” 

“Oh.” Rodney nibbled on his lower lip. Then a lot of John’s reactions during this evening made sense. His refusal to disrobe, his reluctance, and his hesitancy. How horrible must it be to always hold back out of fear of becoming too violent? To always fear that the person you’re in bed with will find out about your secret? 

“I’m not made of glass – and what we did just now was great, but I’m fine with a lot more,” Rodney stated earnestly. 

“You don’t know what you’re getting into,” John implored him, when Rodney’s fingers went slowly in search of the blue marks. “You’d better go – while you still have the chance.” 

“I was crazy enough to break in here. You were crazy enough to keep me here. I think we should be crazy together now.” Rodney was deliberately tracing the blue marks on John’s neck and down the back. 

“Shit!” John grabbed Rodney’s arms and for a second it wasn’t clear if he wanted to push him away or pull him closer. Then the second impulse won out and Rodney was pulled into a fierce embrace. John’s lips pressed onto Rodney’s and before he was able to signal his consent, John’s tongue already invaded his mouth. 

John fervently hoped that it wouldn’t be the same disaster it had been years ago when he had had sex like this – without clothes – for the one and only time. But during the last several years he’d learned to better control his impulses… he hoped. He stripped Rodney of the robe and together they tumbled on the mattress without ever breaking the kiss. 

And in a heartbeat John lost all thoughts of control. He wasn’t used to the sensation of so much naked skin against skin. Warmth, sweat, fine hair... John felt like intoxicated after all these years of abstinence, felt his self-control slip and shatter. It was too much too soon. 

With superhuman strength, he tore himself away from Rodney, falling onto the mattress beside him. He put a hand over his eyes, trying to regulate his breathing and panted out, “Get out! I can’t guarantee your safety. Go! Now!” 

Probably a good idea, Rodney thought, but he didn’t plan on following it. Sheppard threatened him with rough sex, but Rodney wasn’t convinced that this was a threat for him. Of course, he whined when he got a splinter in his finger, but that was more to gain attention than anything else. If Sheppard had continued playing with the knife, that would have been scary, because he got sick at the sight of his own blood. But to be on the receiving end of a pair of strong arms pressing him into the mattress, lips kissing him so hard that he didn’t know anymore what was right or wrong, to be made so breathless that his mind was no longer in control – that was something Rodney wanted very badly. 

So he disregarded John’s order. He turned on his side and combed his fingers through John’s chest hair. He played with John’s nipples and squeezed the tight nubs gently. Trailing his hand lower, he felt John’s muscles twitch under his fingers. It was obvious that John tried not to be swept away by his arousal. Rodney saw how John pressed his lips firmly together so that no sound was able to escape, no groan that would mark his capitulation. 

But he was powerless to hold his hips still, pressing into Rodney’s hand when it massaged his dick through the soft fabric of his boxers. 

The whole time Rodney was pressing his body against John’s ‘blue’ side, and he was sure that this stimulus took as much toll on John’s self control than his fingers which he pushed under the waistband of John’s underwear. John’s grimace became even more intense when Rodney’s fingers cupped John’s balls and pressed them cautiously. John groaned, but he didn’t open his legs.

Damn, but he was one stubborn son of a bitch! Rodney upped the ante and with one fingernail he dared to scratch over the blue skin. 

“Crap!” John quickly rolled over him and pressed him with his whole weight into the mattress. 

Rodney took advantage of the new position and let his hand discover every part of John’s back, especially the blue skin. John growled and pushed Rodney’s hands over his head where he held them locked in place without effort with one hand. 

Oh, did that mean that John didn’t only imagine his greater strength, but really had it in this moment? It would be very interesting to find out what type of hormones and biochemical messengers were currently running...

John bit him in the lower lip, and this brought back Rodney’s attention very effectively. At first Rodney squirmed to evade the teeth, but that made him rub against John from head to toe. With each movement he felt John’s erection. Success! It was good to know that John was as turned on by this as Rodney was!

He opened his legs so that John was able to lie between them. And because his hands were still locked against the mattress, he rubbed his legs along John’s thighs and lower legs. John panted a warning, “Rodney!” But *that* was exactly what Rodney wanted to hear. He continued to rub his legs against John’s body wherever he could reach. John’s moans got louder and his kisses rougher and they left Rodney as breathless as John in this moment. 

Who would have thought that staccato breathing was such a turn on for him? Rodney felt rivulets of sweat running down his body, mixing with John’s sweat. It made grating against each other easier but less controlled. 

Yes, yes, yes, this was exactly what he wanted. This felt like one of his fantasies before going to sleep. Rodney pressed his groin against John’s and demanded, “Harder!” 

John couldn’t help but notice how with every moment the last vestiges of his self-control continued to collapse. With every passing second his need to mark Rodney, to make him totally submit grew more intense. He loved that Rodney wasn’t passive, but continued to challenge him with each movement, touched him where it made his internal fire burn hotter. Rodney wanted harder? John had lots of reserves and harder wasn’t even remotely a problem for him. 

He rolled Rodney over on his stomach and started kissing his neck. They were like tiny bites, going lower and lower. Rodney groaned into every single one, pushing John’s exitement higher. It was incredible, immensely passionate and totally right. Greedily, John soaked up each moan and every movement of the other man. When Rodney got up on all fours, he allowed it. Without looking he fumbled for the lube, found it, coated his fingers and pressed two fingers into Rodney. Rodney groaned loudly – and that was exactly what John wanted to hear. 

Rodney was still loose from their first encounter and without hesitation John pushed in. He felt a slight resistance, but he was too far gone to give a damn about it. Rodney was now his as he demonstrated here and now. 

“Slow down. Gimme a second.” Rodney’s words barely made it through the red haze that surrounded Sheppard. For a heartbeat he wanted to dismiss it, but then his human side, his humanity, kicked in and won over instinct. 

He leaned a hot cheek against Rodney’s sweat cooled back, waiting for Rodney to start moving again. Only then did he allow himself to move. He pushed into Rodney, but not too hard and not too fast. He knew that he couldn’t betray the trust Rodney showed him. Even if this meant that he couldn’t fall into oblivion. 

“Oh, yes. Like that.” Rodney went with the rhythm John dictated. John had stopped when he had asked him to do so and that was assurance enough for Rodney that he could trust him. He felt John’s hand digging into the tender flesh of his hips. It was like a cliché from one of the harlequin novels he had found accidentally in the office and read while waiting for a computer-upload to finish. But probably he’d find the marks there tomorrow and remember this evening with a blissful shudder, like one of those dumb heroines. 

John’s fingers restricted his movements with exactly the right amount of pain Rodney was still fine with. Augmenting his sensations and making him feel at John’s mercy… and free. Free in a way he never thought he would know. 

Every second or third time, John hit that spot in Rodney’s body that made everything more intense. But when Rodney tried to change the angle by going down on his elbows, John pulled him back up. 

“Stay like that,” John ordered with a husky voice. And the voice alone sent a hot shudder through Rodney’s body which made him groan loudly. He had to come now! He tried to touch himself, but John batted his hand away. “No. Don’t.” 

“But I can’t stand it anymore. Everything in me... I... I... Please!” Rodney begged. He felt like coming any second if only John would allow it. 

“Rodney, you’re mine. You don’t come until I tell you to,” John ordered, then pressed the base of Rodney’s dick so hard that Rodney felt his arousal disappear. 

“But...,” he tried to complain. John leaned forward, pressing a lopsided kiss onto the corner of Rodney’s mouth and said, “I’m sorry, but it’s necessary. I... I have one more wish.” 

He had come to a decision. If he didn’t try it with Rodney then... he didn’t know who else to trust with his wish. Rodney had seen everything there was and he was still here. But he could make it safer for Rodney. The pulsing of his blood in his ears was very distracting and it made him pound against Rodney’s body, even while he was leaning over him to reach into the drawer of his nightstand. 

And Rodney wasn’t really helpful, pressing small kisses against his chin and gliding with his hands through John’s hair, murmuring hot and sinful promises. “Whatever you want, John.” 

With almost super human will power, John interrupted the wonderful contact between their bodies and knelt beside Rodney. 

Rodney breathed harder when he saw the black leather cuffs John wrapped around his own wrists. The cuffs were connected by a silver chain. The things John had in his drawer! Before Rodney could ponder this longer, John lay down on his back, brought his hands over his head and told Rodney, “Fix them at the headboard.” 

Rodney smacked his lips, said, “Yes, yes” and crawled to the head of the bed. He fixed the chain on the ornamental bars of the headboard. It was obvious what John wanted from him now and Rodney was only too willing to give it to him. He kissed John everywhere, on his cheeks, his eyelids, his nose and finally his lips, and he kissed also John’s nipples before biting them lightly. He was rewarded with a loud growl. He bit a bit harder and John started squirming under him. 

“Come on, Rodney. Do it.” 

“We don’t need to establish a new speed record here, so be patient,” Rodney said, although he felt a lot like faster, faster, faster himself. He was hard again, at the sight of John’s body, the handcuffs keeping him in place. For the first time this evening, John wasn’t in control anymore. His cool elegance and the impression that he was above it all were gone. Now John’s whole body was strung as taunt as a bowstring. His hands tugged on the bindings, a sweaty strand of hair fell into his face. And his dick was protruding hard and proud from the black hair of his groin. Rodney couldn’t resist, bent forward and sucked it in with his lips – John gasped a surprised, “Rodney!” to be followed immediately by a pleading “Yes, yes! Don’t stop.” 

Rodney mapped every square inch of John’s body with his lips and his hands and John reacted to every caress with groans of “yes” or “please”. After all he had learned during this evening Rodney wasn’t surprised that John was so hungry to be touched. But he had to pay attention not to overdo it this first time. There would hopefully be another occasion. 

How to proceed from here? Rodney hated not having reliable data. In his head he quickly analyzed the situation while he opened the lube. John had told him that in this moment he was stronger, had more stamina and was sexually more aggressive. So if Rodney wanted to leave a lasting impression, he needed to take charge. Someone who wanted to conquer aggressively had to be conquered in the same fashion. 

He slipped on a condom, ordered John to spread his legs, and after a moment of hesitation John’s legs opened. Rodney prepared him quickly, lifted John’s legs to his shoulders and without further ado, quickly entered John’s body. 

John shouted ‘yes’ and ‘no’ at the same time, tried to roll away and ride Rodney’s dick more forcefully. Rodney was convinced that this was what John needed and pushed relentlessly, without pausing into John. 

John closed his eyes and opened his mouth for a heartfelt, “Oh, god!”

Hundreds of conflicting sensations bombarded John. There was his instinct which insisted loudly that he was the alpha male, that he had to take, and couldn’t allow to be taken – and there was John Sheppard, the man, who savoured every second, ignoring the loud protests of his primitive side. The chemicals that were released into his blood stream whenever Rodney touched his blue skin cried in outrage, while John wanted to give himself to Rodney and didn’t see it as weakness, but as a sign of strength, that he finally again trusted somebody enough to confront his inner demons. 

Rodney hammered relentlessly into him and slowly, slowly both inner demands melted together and he told Rodney to give it to him harder and faster. 

Doing what he was asked, Rodney bent forward even more, pressing John down, giving him no space to breath and made him feel that there was virtually no distance between their bodies. Skin on skin. 

When Rodney’s mouth took his and he pressed his tongue forcefully into his mouth, John stopped thinking altogether. He allowed himself to feel everything, allowed Rodney to dictate the rhythm and didn’t try any longer to free himself from the bindings. Without holding anything back, he let himself drown in sensations, finally able to let loose without fear. 

“Come!” Rodney’s raspy order raced along his nerves and set him free. John let himself fall. He enjoyed the moment of his surrender like a victory, and when he felt Rodney reached his climax, he rode the wave with him as long as it was possible, burning the moment in his memory in all its heat and wonderful sensations. 

After minutes of blissful aftermath, he noticed that Rodney hefted himself up and with a murmured encouragement helped John stretch his legs. 

“You’ll feel the sore muscles tomorrow,” Rodney stated. And with that John was back into reality again. 

“It’s worth it, every ache,” he mumbled, opening his eyes and meeting Rodney’s gaze who surveyed him critically. “Everything is fine,” he assured him. 

“You want me to...?” Rodney indicated the leather straps. 

“Yep.” While Rodney was fumbling with the chain, John added, “Thank you. That was... fantastic.” 

Rodney opened one of the cuffs and said with a broad smile, “That was so... so... overwhelming. Can we repeat that??” He stopped. “Ooops. Of course, only if you want to. I mean... I know that... I started out as a burglar and perhaps you don’t want to...”

John put a finger on Rodney’s lips. “Of course I want to. And you may even come through the front door the next time. You don’t have to... Hey, how did you get in by the way?” 

“I’ll tell you tomorrow?” Rodney answered and yawned. 

“Good idea.” John pulled him closer – on the side where there was no blue skin. He wouldn’t fall asleep, that would be too dangerous, but he could bask and relive the experience in the knowledge that there was finally someone who wanted to be with him, regardless of what he looked like.

And if he took Rodney on his offer and made him his new security consultant, they would also get sorted out the problems with Immigration. Of course the other possibility to make Rodney a citizen of the United Stared was also very tempting. But perhaps it was still a bit too early for that. But he would think about it more closely tomorrow. 

And with that John entered the realm of dreams... 

 

\---------THE END--------

©Antares, November/December 2015


End file.
